Starglider
Platform: Commodore 64
Gametype: Undefined
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The Planet Novenia has been attacked by the Egrons, who snuck in by disguising their craft as the protected Starglider species, which Novenia's automated defenses were programmed not to shoot. 

Your task is to fight them off using only an obsolete Airborne Ground Attack Vehicle. This was designed as the ultimate combat machine, with sophisticated hardware up to Draziw Yarg's high standards. It has a fully-rechargeable shield, plasma drive unit, an inbuilt scanner and 10,000-sector map, a top speed of 2550 Urads and two homing missiles.

The game is viewed from within AGAV's cockpit, with control over speed, weapon targeting and firing. There are several control options to decide exactly how the craft works, with fixed or floating sighting, and the option of automatic centering, allowing you to balance the game between easy sighting and advanced shooting ranges.

Repair depots must be visited frequently, as they can refill the weapon bays as well as repairing the ship. Crucially, the Egron Stargliders need 3 missiles to shoot down, so at least 1 visit to a depot is required to complete this job, at which point you move up to the next, harder, level.

Trivia

 When the player exits the game to DOS, the following message appears just above the command prompt: "Thank you for playing StarGlider - Have a nice DOS!" 
Get Fresh
 
The game was shown regularly on the Saturday morning ITV kid's show Get Fresh. To quote from Rainbird's official memorial site, "two players had to battle at the same time get the highest score in a specially modified time-restricted version of the game". This was probably the first instance in UK television history of a computer game being included on a television show not as a freaky high-tech novelty, but as a organic part of youth culture, as relevant as pop music or BMX. 

Awards

Power Play 
1987 - #2 Best Amiga Game '87
1987 - Best Digitized Voice (Clare Edgeley)

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Description from the packaging:

Sent to conquer: Machine versus man.
Air to air to ground combat flight simulation.
Starglider by Argonaut Software.
Futuristic tactical arcade challenge.

Starglider is a true arcade quality 3D combat flight simulator of the first order. A high action product with novella and poster included, giving hints and tips which could be vital to your strategy.
"You now have manual control," the computer advised.
Jaysan pulled gingerly back on his control shoe. The fighter's nose lifted and he felt a slight increase in weight. He turned to the left. His body shifted in his seat and he suddenly realized the meaning of the old expression to fly 'by the seat of your pants.'
Once again the fighter was an aircraft. It was responding like an aircraft.
The battle it had never been designed to fight was waiting for it far below on the darkened surface of the devastated planet.

You are in command of Novenia's last Airborne Ground Attack Vehicle, with limited weaponry and fuel, with no apparent means of replenishment.
Using high energy single-pulse beam lasers and TV guided missiles you must overcome the sophisticated strategies of the invading Ergon air and ground forces, led by Fleet Commander Hermann Krudd in the spacefleet starship... the Starglider.
The challenge begins now!


http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/starglider
